Heating apparatus for fluid circulation systems



0. H. WALLlN Dec. 6; 1932.

HEATING APPARATUS FOR FLUID CIRCULATION SYSTEMS Filed April 7, 1950 Even for"! 050c ficzrbar M17727? Patented Dec. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES OSCAR HERBERT WALLIN, OF STOCKI-IOLIlI-LIDINGO, SWEDEN HEATING APPARATUS FOR FLUID CIRCULATION SYSTEMS Application filed April 7, 1930, Serial No. 442,396, and in Sweden November 9, 1928.

This application is a continuation in part of my previous patent application Ser. No. 323,735, filed the 4th of December, 1928 and entitled Catalytic heating device, and my present invention refers to a heating apparatus for fluid circulation systems, and more specifically to a catalytic heating device adapted to be combined with the circulation pump for the cooling medium in internal combustion engines. The main purpose of the invention is to facilitate the starting-of the engine in cold weather by preheating of the cooling medium therein, and after the start the catalytic heating device forming an integral part of the apparatus may be set out of action, whereafter the pump may be run as usual for the purpose of circulating the medium used.

In most cases the cooling medium used in internal combustion engines consists of pure The invention is lllustrated in the" accompanying drawing which shows two somewhat difierent modifications thereof. In the draw- 1ng:

Fig. 1 shows one modification of the invention seen in elevation partly in section, and F Fig. 2 is a partly sectional plan view of Fig. 3 shows the second modification in the same manner as Fig. 1. and

Fig. 4 is a partly sectional plan view of Fig. 3. I

In the drawing such parts not needed for an explanation of the invention are Omitted, and it is to be understood that the catalytic heating device, which can be constructed in many varying ways, is not claimed per se, or otherwise than in combination with the pump, as described. 7

The invention is chiefly intended to be used in motor cars, air-planes and the like, and in connection with the engines for such vehicles the cooling fluid system is provide water, or water admixed with special ingredi with a centrifugal pump or turbine pump coupled in series between the cooling jackets and the radiator, or radiators. Therefore the embodiments of invention shown in the drawing aresupposed to include in the combined apparatus a fluid propelling means of his kind, but the invention for its utility is notlimited to such kinds of propelling means only, and it may also be used in combination with pumps of other types, as will be understood from the following.

In the embodiment of invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the pump has the-reference 1, and is provided with a suction pipe 2 and a pressure pipe 3. For many reasons it is desirable that the catalytic heating device is mounted on the suction side of the pump, especially when combined with centrifugal pumps, but said device may also be mounted on the pressure side of the pump, if desired in special instances. The main advantage in mounting the heating device on the suction side of the pump is that the pump will also be warmed up and be prevented from damages due to freezing.

The catalytic heating device consists of two main parts, i. e. the evaporator 1 and a heater 5. The construction of the evaporator 4: is of minor importance in this connection, and this part of the apparatus may be constructed in the manner described in the U. S. Patent No. 1,7 92,337. The evaporator serves the purpose of vaporizing the liquid fuel used, and from said evaporator the fuel gas is fed in to the heater 5, in which it is subjected to flame-less combustion by means of a catalyst, such as platinic sponge or the like.

According to Figs. 1 and 2, the suction side of the pump is provided with a bulb-shaped member 6, the chamber 7 within which the catalytic combustion is to be performed being centrally positioned within said bulb-shaped member. A perforated tube 8 extends centrally into the bulb-shaped inner chamber 7 and is connected with the gas tube from the evaporator 1. A wire netting 9 (Fig. 1) is swept around the perforated tube 8 impregnated with or supporting a catalytically active material. In the space between the cend' tral tube 8 and the inner face of the bulb 6 is provided a filling material 10 of a porous or fibrous fire-resistant and heat-accumulating material, such as infusorial earth, asbestos or the like, the said filling being longitudinally penetrated by a number of-perforated tubes 11 open at their upper ends for the purpose of introduction of the air'needed Electric heating COIlS for the combustion. (not shown) may also be embedded in thev filling material for the purposeof preheating the same when the combustion'istobe' started. q n V n r H Exterior-1y the bulb-shaped combustion chamber 7 isprovided with ribs 12 for facili-'" tating the transfer of heat to thefluid entering the outer bulb-shaped member 6 by the inlet 13 when passing the heater "0n its way to the pump. l v I A heating of the evaporator 4:,Wl110l1 perhaps sometimes will be'found advisable, may be effected by ahot air pipe or thehkeheated due tothe combustion in the heater 5. I V

In the embodiment of "invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the same references are used for "similar parts of construction as in Figs. 1

and 2. The main difference between the embodiments is that according to Figs. and-2 the fluid to be heated is passed exteriorly around the heater, but according to Figs. 3 and 4: the said fluid ispassedthrough a central channel within the'samei Referring to Figs. 8 and 4, the heating chamber 7 is arranged in the form of an 'in-' termediate cavity between the endshlelds 1 1 and 15 of the pump, the-said chamber be ing centrally penetrated by. a pipe 16 adapted for surrounding the pump shaft 17 At a l t} tle distance around the pipe 16 there 1s mounted another pipelS, and theiinner-spa'ce between said pipes connects-thepump inlet 2 withthe pump wheel; A cylindrical perforated wall 8 'is'positioned within theccham her 7 ata little dis'tance fromthe. interior surface of itscylindrical wall, and the cata-" lyst 9 between the catalyst and the 'tube18 isar ranged a filling s10 of thenaturedescribed above, suchfilling being longitudinally pen 'etrated by a number of perforated inlet pipes 11 for the combustionair, and at least some of said perforated pipe-s being'open at their one end, the opposite end ofsaid pipes being inter connected by means of an annular by causing the flame less .combustioni The (35" tube 18 is provided with ribs 20 as well ex is at hand on the inner side of tlie said perforated wall. -;Withintheinter space teriorly as interiorly (compare Fig. 3) for facilitating the transfer of heat to the cooling medium passing the annular passage between the tubes 16 and 18.

It is obvious that the mounting together of the catalytic heating device and the pump mayal'sofbe"performed'in other ways than those'described above and shown in the drawing, and the heating device, or its heating chamber, within which the catalytic combustion takes placefmay be'mounted, for in- StZLIIQB lQ one oftheend shields of the pump housing. This combination of the heating device andlthe pump'is-especially advantageous dueto the fact that the weight and also the cost of manufacture of the combination "as a' whole may be reduced below thetotal weight and cost ofmanufacturerespectively, if the pump and -the 'heatingde- I vice had i been produced separately, and besides themountin'g of'the'whole assembly will be simplified and the'space required reduced, all of such fa'cts being of importance in pra'ctice V What I claima'nddesi're to secure by Letters Patentis 1 r 1. An aggregate adapted tobe'connectedas a unit in a cooling liquid'circulating system" for an "internal" combustion'engine to cause the'liqu'idto circulate through the said system and rto h'eat the liquid contained in thesaid" system','-comprising 'in combination a pump having. an inlet and anoutlet adapted to be connected-ma pipe line 'for'the said cooling liquid and catalytic-heatingdevice compris- 'lng an evaporator, means for transmitting liquid fuel suchas gasoline to the said evap-' orator, a combustion chamber containinga catalyst, means for transmitting the evap-" oratedfuelfrom the'evaporator toythe com' bustion chamber, and means; for admi-ttance 1 of air into and escape ofcomhustiongases from; the said combust on chamber, the combustion"chamber"being housed fwith'in the housing of'thepump and having a wall J1.

boundinga passage for the cooling liquid' h n ru nn aggregate adapted to be connected as a unit 11m cooling'liquid circulating'systein foran internal combustion engine to cause the liquid to circulate through said system and toheat the liquid insaidsystem,'comprising in combination, a centrifr'igal'pump'hav- I. ingan inlet and an outlet adapted to beconnectedj a "pipe line' for the said cooling liquid," a combustion chamber mounted within" the inlet ofthe said inspa'ced relation to the Wall'sthereof so, astobe'passe'd byjthe coolingliquid flowing through thesaid inlet,

means in the said combustionchamber for catalytic combustion of an evaporated fuelH such asgasoline introduced therein, an evaporatorfasso'c'i'ated with the said combustion chamber, means for transmitting the fuel in"? a liquid state to "tliesaid evaporator, and l means for the introduction of the evaporated fuel from the evaporator into the combustion chamber.

3. An aggregate adapted to be connected as a unit in a cooling liquid circulating system for an internal combustion engine to cause the liquid to circulate through said system and to heat the liquid in said system, comprising in combination, a centrifugal pump having axially spaced end shields provided with an inlet and an outlet respectively, a casing forming a combustion chamber and an axially ex tending passage for the cooling liquid around the shaft of the pump interposed between the said spaced end shields, means in the said combustion chamber for catalytic combustion of an evaporated fuel such as gasoline introduced therein, an evaporator associated with the said combustion chamber, means for transmitting the fuel in a liquid state to the said evaporator, and means for the introduction of the evaporated fuel from the evaporator into the combustion chamber.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

OSCAR HERBERT WALLIN. 

